Kosovo water system blast raises questions about regional power stability
A blast at Kosovoʼs main water canal disrupted supplies to power plants near Serbian border. Local authorities stepped-up security measures while Serbia denied any role in the incident
On a cold november evening near Zubin Potok a blast damaged the water-supply canal that feeds Kosovos main power stations. The incident (which happened around 7pm) caused major concerns about the regions infrastructure stability
The water-management system suffered significant damage — concrete walls cracked and silt poured through creating serious supply issues. Local workers quickly set-up bypass tubes but some areas still dont have regular water access. Arben Gjukaj former power company head told media: this wasnt just random damage; whoever did this knew exactly where to hit
The situation got more complex when Albin Kurti Kosovoʼs prime-minister and Serbian minister Marko Djuric started pointing fingers at each-other. The disagreement shows deeper issues between countries that split-up about 16 years ago when Kosovo declared its independence
Security forces increased their presence around key spots after recent troubling events in north Kosovo:
- Hand-grenade attack on police station
- Similar incident at municipality building
- Water canal explosion
Kosovoʼs government took quick steps to fix problems: they talked with Albania about extra power supply; started bringing water in trucks to affected areas; set-up extra protection for important places like bridges power stations and communication towers. The Security Council met early next day to make emergency plans
The north Kosovo area where ethnic-Serbs live continues to see Belgrade as its capital which makes fixing local issues extra hard. Workers are now trying to repair the canal while authorities keep watch for any new threats to infrastructure
